The Arizona Cardinals were the last of 10 NFL teams to hire their new head coach, but Mike LaFleur has been busy, quickly piecing together the rest of his coaching staff. While they lost out on a battle with the Tennessee Titans to hire Robert Saleh as defensive coordinator, the Cardinals wasted no time finding their offensive coordinator.
According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the Cardinals agreed to a contract to make Nathaniel Hackett their new offensive coordinator on Wednesday. Though, Hackett, 46, will not assume offensive playcalling duties in Arizona. That duty will fall on coach LaFleur.
While Hackett has never worked with Mike, he should still be very familiar with LaFleur’s concepts, as he worked with his brother, Matt, for three seasons as the Green Bay Packers‘ offensive coordinator.
Hackett had just been hired at the end of January to be Jeff Hafley’s QB coach for the Miami Dolphins. Yet, with this job being a step up from being a QB coach, Hackett will be headed to Arizona instead.
He had been operating as a defensive analyst with the Packers in 2025 after ending a two-year stint as the offensive coordinator of the New York Jets. In 2022, Hackett reached the pinnacle of the coaching hierarchy as head coach of the Denver Broncos, but he was let go after leading them to a 4-11 record.
Now, he’ll become an NFL offensive coordinator for the fifth time in his coaching career, bringing valued experience to a coaching staff with a young leader.
Related: 5 QBs Arizona Cardinals Should Consider After Mike LaFleur Hire
